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Recently the Nashville Farmer’s Market was in the news when the announcement was made that this spring they will revert to being a “producer” only market. In other words, only the people who actually make, raise or grow the products they are selling will be allowed to have booths.

The decision has been both applauded and derided, depending on perspective. Local farmers who sell at the market are 100% in support, as are customers who want to buy directly from the farmer growing the food. On the other side are the “resalers” (wholesale produce suppliers) who have been selling at the market for years and the customers who prefer convenience and year-round produce availability.

I posted the article from The Tennessean on my personal Facebook page, as well as our farm page, and received numerous well-stated comments from both sides. As I thought about replying to each one, I realized it made more sense to write this post and explain in more detail where I land in this debate. Obviously, as a local farmer, I have a dog in this hunt, so it’s only fair our customers (and potential customers) know exactly where we stand on this issue.

Let me start by giving a couple of definitions of what is a farmer’s market:

The USDA defines it as…”a multi-stall market at which farmer-producers sell agricultural products directly to the general public at a central or fixed location, particularly fresh fruit and vegetables (but also meat products, dairy products, and/or grains).”

Wikipedia’s definition is…”a physical retail market featuring foods sold directly by farmers to consumers. Farmers’ markets typically consist of booths, tables or stands, outdoors or indoors, where farmers sell fruits, vegetables, meats, and sometimes prepared foods and beverages. They are distinguished from public markets, which are generally housed in permanent structures, open year-round, and offer a variety of non-farmer/producer vendors, packaged foods and non-food products.”

In both cases the emphasis is on farmers selling directly to customers. This is why farmer’s markets were started. To give local farmers a cost effective way to connect and sell directly to local customers. As a new farm starting out last year, selling at a local “farmer’s market” was critical for us. It gave us exposure to new customers that we otherwise would not easily have gotten and a number of those customers have continued to support us through the winter.

While definitely a win for us, participating in this market also taught us some valuable lessons. Unlike the direction the Nashville market is taking, our market is not a “producer-only” market. In other words there are produce vendors there who are “resalers” and do not grow what they sell. Some are very open about this and others…not so much. As the season went on, these are the lessons we learned…

Not everyone selling produce at our farmer’s market actually grew what they were selling. Like many of you we just presumed everyone selling at a farmer’s market was a farmer. Wrong.

Unless the produce “resaler” is buying directly from local farms (and has visited the farm), they have no idea how the produce was grown and what, if any, chemical fertilizers and pesticides were applied. If they are buying at a wholesale auction, as most are, there is a very high likelihood the produce is not naturally grown. On a side note, if any vendor claims their produce is “organic”, be sure to ask to see their organic certification. If they cannot produce a certification, there’s no proof it’s actually organic.

Our farm cannot compete with a resaler on price. Because they are buying “commercially” grown produce at wholesale prices, they can sell it cheaper than it costs us to produce our naturally grown produce. This was a tough one for me to swallow as I am competitive person and hate to lose. Fortunately another local farmer at the market helped me understand the people focused on buying the cheapest produce (not that there’s anything wrong with that as Seinfeld used to say) were not our customers. Our focus is on customers who want to know where their food is coming from, who’s growing it and how they’re growing it.

The final lesson learned was one I already knew, but sometimes forgot in the heat of the moment. Don’t talk down about your competition. I must admit there were times during the heat of summer I found myself doing just that and it was wrong. My focus should be on educating people on what we do and why we do it the way we do and then let them decide who to buy from.

I applaud the direction taken by the Nashville market as I believe it will greatly benefit local farmers and artisans. It also sets a high standard of disclosure for those selling at their market. As for our market, it’s a little tougher call. If you were to eliminate the resalers, I’m afraid there would not be enough local farmers to step in and fill the void short-term. The result could be a failing market which benefits no one.

That being said, I would definitely like to see full disclosure from all the vendors at our market. Did you make, raise or grow the products you’re selling? If not, be up front and tell people where they came from. It’s pretty obvious when the bottom of the mug says “made in China”, but not so much when it comes to produce. I believe full disclosure helps even the playing field and gives the local farmer (like us) a fighting chance to be successful at market.

The next time you’re shopping at a farmer’s market, and in doubt, don’t be afraid to ask where that produce came from and how it was grown. It’s your right as a consumer to get an honest answer before spending your hard-earned money. For those of you who really care about where the food you’re eating comes from, we have very simple advice for you… “Know your farmer, know your food.” ​We would love to hear more from you and what your thoughts are on this topic. Please feel free to share in our comments section.